Engagement is a cornerstone of successful planning applications, particularly in residential or mixed-use developments where community support can make all the difference. For community engagement in planning applications, from the initial concept to the final build, involving the community early and at key design phases not only informs but enhances the design process, aligning project outcomes with community needs and aspirations.
This insight article outlines two engagement strategies for planning applications, such as master-planned residential sites, based on a series of focused online consultations using the site layout as reference point. People are often interested in residential or mixed-use development projects because they can help create new homes.
The effectiveness of community engagement can be significantly improved when approaching consultations early and at crucial decision stages. By aligning engagement to each project stage, planners can achieve a more supportive community and a smoother application process.
Pro tip: To find out about engagement requirements for construction projects in various parts of the UK. Go here: When is early community engagement required for developments?
Taking the RIBA Plan of Work as guide for your community engagement strategy
To maximise the effectiveness of community engagement in planning applications, it’s essential to align activities with key decision-making phases of the design. This approach allows feedback to influence the design process meaningfully at each stage, from the initial concept to detailed design.
This is where the structure of the RIBA Plan of Work phases can aid as a guide.
For UK-based projects, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)’s Plan of Work provides an industry-recognised structure that helps to align the timing and content of community engagement activities with design progression.
Each RIBA stage presents an opportunity for community engagement in planning applications, allowing projects to evolve with input from local stakeholders. Notably, PlaceChangers’ approach to phased engagement, which emphasizes community involvement at each design stage, aligns closely with the Engagement Overlay now recognized by RIBA and the Association of Consultant Architects (ACA). This overlay underscores the importance of structured community feedback throughout the RIBA Plan of Work, reflecting best practices that PlaceChangers has advocated for years.
Below is a simple summary of the key project outcomes per the RIBA stage and the potential focus for community engagement.
Stage | Key outcomes | Possible community engagement focus |
|---|---|---|
RIBA 0: Strategic definition | Establishing the business case | Brief refinement |
RIBA 1: Design brief | Site analysis and constraint mapping | Inviting community feedback on constraints and local housing requirements |
RIBA 2: Concept design | Shaping site layout principles | Engaging the community on early layout ideas to align with local preferences |
RIBA 3: Detailed design | Refining detailed designs | Soliciting feedback on specific design elements for final refinement before submission |
Give yourself time to anticipate consultation events based on key project milestones.
Here we give you two potential community engagement approaches with online campaigns mapped to key RIBA Plan of Work Stages.
Online engagement for small-scale master plans
Your design may emerge rapidly on smaller-scale major development sites, especially on the lower end of the spectrum where sites are less complex. You may have less scope for community engagement earlier in the process at other times due to time constraints.
Ensure that there's sufficient time to consider the neighbourhood in your design development. Architects or project owners could draw on a tool such as PlaceChangers Site Insights to understand local socio-demographics, capacity of infrastructure, and exiting housing. See: Site Insights tool: Generate place reports for your master plan
While advisable to fit in further feedback opportunities for earlier conceptual design stages (as outlined further below), by default, you would ideally run an online community engagement campaign coinciding with, for instance, a public exhibition before the design is frozen and the planning application submitted.
RIBA stage | Focus question | Set-up | Key Result |
|---|---|---|---|
RIBA3 | What do you think about the submission proposals? | Present the master plan layout. Contraint to specific points of interest, or aspects of the design. 2-3 weeks timed around any public exhibition(s) | Feedback on final layout for SCI |
It is worth remembering that you or your planning team will have ideally established some rapport with key local groups, decision-makers, and the council at that stage. This may require research into the local area before the conceptual design stage.
If you can, leave sufficient time between community engagement and submission of the planning application so that the implications of the feedback can be considered in a meaningful way.
Example: A 3D consultation helped North Tyneside Council receive constructive feedback on their own planning application for a new homes project. See example
Online engagement for urban settings and large-scale master plans
For larger projects, a more structured, multi-stage engagement approach is critical. As seen in Westminster City Council’s pre-application engagement guidelines and Wandsworth Early Engagement Guide, phased, early engagement helps manage public scrutiny and complex design requirements.
For larger or significant developments, public scrutiny increases while design development will be significantly more complex. Many core design decisions arise at the RIBA2 stage for the preferred layout.
In terms of a community engagement strategy for these large-scale plans, start to engage as early as possible in a productive manner at RIBA stage 2 and before, for instance, by inviting feedback on early concepts or constraints maps.
Built a series of interconnected productive consultations focused on the layout and design content that match your project stages.
RIBA stage | Focus Question | Set-up | Key Result |
|---|---|---|---|
RIBA1 | What is special about your town? Send us photos and comments of aspects you like or don't like. | Focus on the area adjacent to your site. Relevant response categories, and open response on the area around your site. WIth the option to send in photos of the issues raised |
Understanding of housing need |
RIBA2 | What do you think about the indicative site layout? | Present the draft site layout. Open response on any aspect of the site. Timed around any public exhibition(s) | Feedback on site layout option for documentation in SCI |
RIBA3 | What do you think about the submission proposals? | Present the master plan layout. Focus on specific points of interest, or aspects of the design. Timed around public exhibition(s) | Feedback on final design for SCI |
Practical Considerations for Effective Engagement
Through a series of community engagement campaigns, you build up a picture of critical concerns regarding specific architectural design elements; and your architect or master planning will be able to use that feedback to make suitable amendments while staying within the requirements of your business case.
Noting contact preferences and interests, you will be able to communicate to groups of individuals with specific concerns. It is essential to take residents along with significant development in their area and build a positive line of communication. Feedback options on pragmatic and meaningful stages help deliver precisely that.
Love Wolverton is a good example of early community engagement at conceptual and detailed design stages.
Conclusions
Engaging the community early and throughout the design process significantly enhances planning applications. By aligning engagement activities with project milestones, community engagement in planning applications can result in actionable feedback that shapes design decisions, reduces opposition, and improves project outcomes.
Digital and web-based tools that present interactive versions of proposals, such as the PlaceChangers Engagement tool, keep costs of engagement low while enabling design teams to reach out to more people online and gather detailed feedback on-site layout and architectural designs.
Ask us if you like to discuss the detailed outline for a development project. We are pleased to advise how best to layer online engagement onto your already existing plan.
Explore the PlaceChangers planning toolkit
PC Engagement tool - Market leading interactive planning consultations
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PC Site Insights tool - Place analytics tool for town planning
Make use of powerful place analytics to support briefs, engagement planning, and impact statements.